Survey: Executives Consider Business Degree Most
Valuable to Success

February 22, 2007 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Thirty-nine
percent of executives say they would get a business degree to
better prepare for career success, down from 49% who said the
same thing 10 years ago, according to a recent
survey.

The survey by Accountemps of 150 senior executives
found that following business administration, the other
top responses were liberal arts (21%), accounting (14%)
and computer science (11%).

In 1990, the first year the poll was taken, liberal
arts (29%) was slightly ahead of business administration
(28%); both were trailed closely by computer science
(26%). However, in 1996, liberal arts lost its top spot
(14%) to business administration (49%).

“Degrees with a broader focus, such as business
administration and liberal arts, may be the most
attractive as they typically provide a diverse course of
study and a focus on critical thinking, which can prepare
people for success in a variety of environments,” said
Max Messmer, chairman of staffing firm
Accountemps.

The survey was developed by Accountemps and conducted
by an independent research firm. The poll covered
150 senior executives – including those from human
resources, finance and marketing departments – with the
nation’s 1,000 largest companies.